Catenary rod bender



Sept. 22, 1931'. s. N. TIDEMAN CATENARY ROD BENDER Filed June 23, 1930 0 ill? III A Patented Sept. 22, 1931 warren "STATES SELIM N. TIDEMAN, OF WILMETTE; ILLINOIS oA'rnNAnY non BENDER Application filed. .Tune 23,

This invention relates to an eye bender and is particularly adapted for bending the ends of so called catenary hangers, such as are used to suspend a level trolley wire or intermediate messenger from the principalsup porting messenger cable, which latter takes the form of a catenary curve when suspended between two supports. V I

-This supporting messenger cable forming a catenary curvenecessarily varies in distance from the supported leyel'wire according to location and the length of rods necessary to connect the level wire to the catenary' cable varies accordingly. While the required length of these rods is usually calculated mathematically, it is frequently desirable or necessary to establish this length eXperi mentally in the field and cut and form the hangers to the correct length after the upper end of each hanger has been attached to the supporting messenger wire, leaving the lower end to be cut to proper length and lower loop in same formed in place after installation.

With the present invention, it is practicable. when it is desired to experimentally determine the proper length of catenary hangers after the upper attachments have been made, to cut the hanger rods to fit the level wire already temporarily installed in position or to cut them to a set of gauge marks attached to the top of the work car carrying the men doing the work.

This tool is particularly adapted for use ;.;;,jby men working on the deck of such work car operated on a railroad track in establishing supporting connection between the contact wire and the supporting cable.

The principal purpose of this invention, iotherefore, is to provide a tool of this character by means of which the end of a rod may be bent to form an eye or hook therein without the aid of any auxiliary mechanism, except a common wrench selected as particularly adapted for use with this tool, making it possible for the tool to be operated by one man.

There is, however, in the above specific purm pose of the tool nothing to detract from its use for bending of a loop in the end of a rod bench.

fixed on the base plate 5 for example by screw 8 1930. seen No.'463,222.

where such work is'done'to' established meas urement and executedin the shop. This tool is equally adaptable for this purpose when secured ina vise or by other methodsto a I will describe one form which the invention may take by reference to the accompanying drawings whereino V Fig. 1' is a side view of the tool showing it H in position to bend the lower end of the 60 catenary rod; i Fig. 2' is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the bendingoperation completed; and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig 1. v V i Referring'now in detail to the drawings, the tool is made up of a base plate 5 which has a handle portion 6 that may be extended to any suitable or desired length, the operating elements all being-mounted upon this base plate. The rod 7 is the'element to be bent. and is shown in Fig. 1 as in the positionjit occupies immediately before the bending operation begins. A suitable guide indicated at 8 hasan overhanging lip 9-beneathwhich the rod 7 passes. This rod is then extended-beneath theroller support 10 between the pivot pin 11 of this support and the roller 12 carried by the support. The pivot pin 11 is. of course threading it into the base plateand fastening it bymeans of the lock nut 13; "In the first operation, the rod is slid into the position shown in Fig. 1 so that it abuts against the stop member 14 mounted on the plate 5so as to have a limited amount of adjust'ment; This fadjustment is accomplished bymeans of the slots 15 and the screws such as 16 which secure the stop 14 to the base plate. Roller 12 is secured bymans of the bolt 17 to the member 1O, and this member 10 is mounted on the, pivot pin ll by means of the socket l8- which has the projecting pin. 19 therein cooperating with the correspond.- ing groove 20 that encircles the pivot pin 11 and also thefvertically extending groove 21 which-permits the pin 19 in one position of the member 10 to move upwardly out of the groove 20 and thus enable the member 10 to be lifted off the pin 11 so that the rod 7 may be removed after it is bent. As shown, the position which the member 10 occupies when pin 19 aligns the groove 21 is the position in Fig. 2 at the completion of the bending operation.

The initial bending operation which takes place is accomplished by means of the member 22 which as shown is yieldingly pressed as bymeans of the spring 23 fixed on the base 5 into the position shown in Fig. 1. A cam 24 engages with the straight back 125 of the member 22 so that as this cam 24.- is rotated for example by applying a wrench to the nut 26 thereon it will force the member 22 to the left as shown in Fig. 1' into the position show-n F 2, which, of course, causes an initial bending of the rod 7 immediately back .of the pin 11. The wrench is then appliedto the projecting portions 10' of the member 10 which member is now in the position shown inFig. l, and the member 10 is turned in .a clockwise direction into the position shown'in Fig. 2, the roller 12, of course, forcing the rod 7 to bend around into the eye shape shown in Fig.2..

It is obvious, of course, that once the member. 22 hasbeen moved into the position shown in Fig. 2. the tool is more or less secured .to the catenary rod so that the rod cannot ;;escape, and this leaves the operator'fre'e to manipulate the member 10 Without any ditficu'lty. V

After the bending operation iscompleted, the pin 19 comes into alignment with the slot .21 so'that the member 10 can be lifted off its pivot pin 11 and therodremoved. The member 10 can then be replaced, and the groove 20 will retain it on the member ,5 until it is used again.

, From the .above description, .it is thought that the construction and operation of this device will be clear to those skilled in this artand the advantages ther'eofreadily apparent. I

, Having thus describedmy invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

.1. A hand-tool for rodbending comprising a base having a pair of spaced stationary guides and a pair of movable members whose normal resting position leaves a path tor insertion of the rod between the stationary guides and the movable members, means for moving oneoifsaid members against the rod between said guides to form an initial bend,

and means for turning the other member aboutthe guide nearest the inserted end of the rod to bend it into substantially a loop, said last named means being pivoted on the guide about which the rod is bent and removable therefrom in only one position.

"2. A hand tool'for rod bending comprising a "base having a pair of spaced stationary guides and a pair of movable members whose normal resting position leaves a path for insertion of the rod between the stationary guides and the movable members, means for moving one of said members against the rod between said guides to form an initial bend, and means for turning the other member about the guide nearest the inserted end of the rod to bend it into substantially a loop, said last named means comprising a plate carried on said last named guide and overlying said rod to hold it on said guide and having .a projection forming said means for turning said other member.

'3. a hand tool for rod bending, a base having ,a stationary guide and a movable memberspaced apart normally to permit insertionof arod therebetween, a holding member held in position on the side of the rod on which the movable member lies, and means tor moving said movable member about the stationary guide with the rod therebetween to form a loop in the end of the rod, said means comprising a plate removably pivoted on said stationary guide and spacedfirom said base so that the rod may pass between it and the base and be held on said stationary guide by said plate during the bending of the rod. j

,In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 5th da 'of June A. D., 1930.

7 SE IM N. TIDEMAN.

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